Got tracks 5-8 up today: "No Room for Doubt (ft Willy Mason)," "Forget," "Age," and "Elusive." At first, I wasn't too keen on Willy Mason's voice on "No Room for Doubt," and I thought it was kind of an odd fit, but my mind has completely changed on that matter. The folkiness is a great fits not only with the super sweet groove going on, but with Lianne's voice as well. They contrast each other in a really nice way. The build in the bridge is very tasteful, and gives the song the right amount of build. "We all make mistakes, we do - I learned from you," great hook. Super subtle song - very sweet. I like that it's immediately followed by "Forget," because they have such contrasting feels to them - I dig it so hard. This track has such a cool rock/hip hop feel to it that isn't like anything else. I was hooked from the opening line, "waste all your time writin' love songs, but you don't love me/all too familiar when it feels wrong, I think you're just lonely." Just reading my mind and shit. Sing it girl. Love the intensity to the chorus - you can really hear the anger in her voice (which is odd when you think about what a little cutie this girl is). Vocal/guitar bridge is super cool, and adds a great break to the song. So solid. "Age" is actually the song that got me to review this album, as we watched a video of her performing it in class. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the album version was just her and the guitar as well - I think the cuteness of the track could have been clouded had other instrumentation been added. It sounds like this is a true story, and you can hear the truth in her voice. Man, just reading my mind again. Too many times have guys way too old for me have asked me out, but I've always been curious seeing as all the younger men are... well, I'll just stop there. Short and sweet, just like this adorable woman. "Elusive" is an awesome way to end today's line up. The groove on this is just my cup of tea. I love the back beat and the bass, they add a depth that I dig super hard. She does a great job of the gradual build, and I'm all about it. The first chorus is nice and low, and the second is just the right amount of more. Background vocals are super sweet. I really like this track. So far, this album is mad dope.

Always gotta love starting a new album! Got the first four songs today up for review: "Don't Wake Me Up," "Is Your Love Big Enough," "Lost & Found," and "Au Cinéma." Man, "Don't Wake Me Up" is quite the way to open up an album! No getting around the super cool a cappella intro, especially since the harmonies are fucking sick, and the slight affect makes them sound extra cool. I love that the instrumentation starts out super simple with the bass and piano, and remains minimal throughout the groove. Her voice is really captivating - I love the soft sultriness to it. There's a gradual build to the groove that is really cool. The layers come in very subtly until the song is super full at the end. Super cool track. The title track, "Is Your Love Big Enough" continues on the cool track from the starting guitar riff. I don't even know how to categorize this groove, it's really got it's own thing going on. I really dig the anthem feel to the hook with the group vocals and claps - it makes you wanna sing it nice and loud. Love the sweetness to the bridge like middle "I scream on second avenue" - it's adorable. Everything about this track from the groove to her vocals grabs your attention, and I'm diggin it super hard. I like that things get super soft on "Lost & Found," it's actually quite a sad little number. You can hear the hurt in Lianne's voice, and it really brings a lot to the song. Dig the contrast between the softness of the piano and the presence of the kick drum. This track is super simple, and sweet, but I'm pretty surprised it's come so early in the album - it seems like something that would come closer to the close of the album. Regardless, super sweet tune. "Au Cinéma" is a cool fucking tune. I love that it starts with just her and guitar, because then the groove builds so gradually over the course of the tune in such a cool way. All of the different elements that make their way in are super fresh, and definitely original. The chord progression is fucking cool, too. I don't even really know how to describe this one, it's just got its own feel that deserves to be listened to understood. Fucking. Cool.

This weeks album is the second in a row that came due to watching videos in my International Music Business Seminar. Our teacher played us a live video of Lianne, and I instantly fell in love. She has a super sweet, soulful voice, and just looks freakin adorable on stage. Wanted to hear me some good lady vocals this week :)

Monday, February 18, 2013

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Alright, so I can definitely appreciate Mumford & Sons for what they do, but I don't really think it's my cup of tea. Or at least this album wasn't. They're really good at what they do, and they have a great vibe, but this album all sounded the same. The first five tracks could have a essentially been the same song - it got to be predictable, and therefore boring. I was really curious as to why they chose to compile the album this way, I feel like it would have been much more effective if the tracks were switched around providing some more variation between songs. There are definitely some solid tracks on the album, "I Will Wait" has been stuck in my head all week, and I really like "Broken Crown," but I was really hoping for an "aha!" moment as to why they won Album of the Year this year. I thought Frank Ocean's Channel Orange was a much better album overall. I definitely dig the group dynamic though, and their group vocals are on point. They are probably a great band to see live at a festival, because it sounds like they're having a great time playing their songs, and I know they have a huge following. I'll have to listen to this album on shuffle to give it another chance, but it wasn't really my favorite.

Final four tracks left for review: "Hopeless Wanderer," "Broken Crown," "Below My Feet," and "Not With Haste." The thing I like most about this last set is that they don't sound like the rest of the album, but because of that, I wish they'd been dispersed throughout the album instead of being compiled together at the end. "Hopeless Wanderer" off the bat sounds like a Coldplay tune (mainly because of the piano), which I don't know how Mumford would feel being compared to their fellow Brits. It's got the typical build up like the rest of the songs in the hook, but it switches it up a little bit in the second verse with the guitar feel, which is good. The banjo pick up at the end is pretty cool, a little crazier than the former ones. Decent tune. "Broken Crown" is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, due to the dark feel it's got to it. Or maybe it's because he says "fuck" in the chorus. The darkness separates it from the rest of the album, which is cool. Mumford also has a grit to his voice that I dig, really adding to the vibe of the tune. And even though it's got the typical four on the floor Mumford pick up, it works for this song, so I don't mind it. "Below My Feet" is very subtle, which I like. The best part of this song is the use of electric guitar and the cut time towards the end, I just wish they'd used a different drum sound, because it's kind of corny. Otherwise, this is just an okay song in my opinion. "Not With Haste" is a sweet song to take things out, but I'm pretty surprised that they used this as the final tune. Very sweet groove, nice n sweet. I actually like the pick up to this one because it's very gradual, and it's not four on the floor like the rest of them. Short tune, which is nice. Nice harmonies, but that's no surprise seeing as that's part of the shtick. Pretty good overall.

About Me

My name's Madison, and I'm currently a student at Berklee College of Music studying voice. I know a lot of music, but nearly not enough. So I am on a musical mission: 100 albums in 100 weeks. I'll listen to artists that I am both familiar and unfamiliar with, but I want to to focus on albums that I've never heard before or taken a serious listen to. As my dad would say, it's time for some edumacation :)